Last weekend’s action was far from memorable apart from the Dallas Cowboys game, which ended in highly controversial circumstances. We also saw a prospective US Presidency candidate, Chris Christie celebrate the victory with eccentric Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
No word yet if Hillary Clinton will show up at any of this weekend’s games.
Saturday Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots Saturday 9:35 PM
After a convincing win in the Wildcard round, the Ravens travel to New England for their third playoff game in four years. Both teams have a win each in their previous two encounters. A dominating pass rush was the key to victory for the Ravens last week. Their opponents were without star running back Le’Veon Bell, and their running attack suffered a significant drop off. The Ravens sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times, and according to Pro Football Focus.com, Roethlisberger was under pressure in 25 of his 54 dropbacks. The Steelers offensive line was pretty solid this year so the Ravens pass rush and defensive front is frightening. For all their defensive back woes which we mentioned last week, a dominant pass rush can certainly mask weakness in that side of the field. The Ravens offense was pretty good, with Joe Flacco being his usual self in the playoffs.
The challenge facing the Ravens will be far tougher this time around. If the Ravens are to win this game, their pass rush will be the main reason. Tom Brady can be erratic and prone to errors in judgement when continuously pressured.
The Patriots had another great year (are we surprised anymore?) with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still leading the charge. Brady may not possess the same physical gifts he did several years ago, but he is still an upper echelon QB. The game could very well be won in the trenches. The Patriots offensive line had a respectable season, and if they can give Brady time, then it seems very likely that their receivers led by Rob Gronkowski will exploit the Ravens secondary. The Patriots aren’t highly effective at throwing deep to begin with, so look for them to throw the ball short and allow their receivers to make plays with the ball in hand. This should also help negate that fearsome pass rush by getting the ball out quickly, but this could help Baltimore cover up a weaker aspect to their game. Aside from Gronkowski, they have the likes of Julian Edelman to work over the middle while Brandon LaFell has had a fine year.
The key difference for the Patriots this season has been their improved defence, they can now be relied upon to limit even the most explosive teams, as they did against the Broncos this year (and to an extent in their loss against the Packers). Darrelle Revis has played tremendously at cornerback.. Their pass rush is solid with Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower playing superbly with Rob Ninkovich contributing too. Torrey Smith and Steve Smith are capable of causing the Patritos some problems but the Ravens rushing attack has slowed down as the season has progressed.
This should be a very good game, the key difference in their last playoff matchup was the absence of Rob Gronkowski. Expect him to be a key figure, but with some fine coverage linebackers and Will Hill, the Ravens can hope to limit the tight end. The Patriots should win this game, but don't sleep on the Ravens, they are certainly capable of an upset
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks Sky Sports 2 01:15 Sunday Morning/Saturday Night
The Panthers win against the Cardinals is the worst playoff game in recent memory, as expected, Ryan Lindley and the Cardinals offense were inept. They had 78 yards of total offense, a new low for the playoffs. To put that in perspective, in their loss last weekend, in their victory against the Bengals, the Colts managed 71 yards on their opening drive. The Cardinals-Panthers game was a close contest on the scoreboard for the first half, but a quick score from the Panthers and fumble by the Cardinals on the subsequent kickoff, ended the game as a contest.
We talked about the Panthers defence in last weeks preview, and how their recent improved performances bode well for the playoffs. Admittedly they were against a pretty poor offensive team but they did all they were asked to do. Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly were standouts as they have been all season. The Panthers did have some struggles offensively however. Cam Newton didn’t have a great game, he was quite inaccurate at times, and his decision making could have been better. He also appeared to be fighting through the pain barrier as the game progressed. Against a team as physical as Seattle, perhaps that could eventually take its toll.
The resurgence of Jonathan Stewart at running back continued over half his season total came in the final five games of the regular season and he went for over 100 yards against the Cardinals. He appears to be healthy, and running hard. Few teams have proved capable of doing it, but those who have beaten Seattle in recent times have done so largely on the basis of a great running game and sound offensive line play. The Panthers have improved in those departments in recent times, but I don’t think they are able to beat the Seahawks yet.
The Seahawks are of course the reigning Super Bowl Champions and despite losing several key contributors to free agency in the likes of Clinton McDonald, Golden Tate and Brandon Browner. After some mixed early season form where the Seahawks lost back to back games against the Cowboys and the Rams, they soon got things back on track, winning nine of their final ten games. Their incredible defence which led them to success last year, is back with a vengeance. In the final six weeks, they let in an astonishing three touchdowns. This team has several standout defenders, the loudest of which is Richard Sherman, who is Revis’ partner in crime in the best cornerback in the league stakes.
The Seahawks are a better team, in all aspects. The Panthers recent form has been great but the Seahawks are a step above anything they have played up till now. It’s hard to see beyond Seahawks win. If the Panthers are to win, they need sacks (they are capable of beating these offensive linemen) and a strong running game. They are missing Star Lotulelei on their defensive line, a big loss to their run defence. Recent games between these two have been surprisingly close, often coming down to the final quarter but expect the home team to win out.
